Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers

Where: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH

When: Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00 PM EST

How (TV): Fox Sports Southeast, Charlotte and Fox Sports Ohio

Charlotte Hornets (Away)

Head Coach: James Borrego {All-Time 48-62 | ORL, CHA}

Projected Starting Five: (G) Kemba Walker – (G) Dwane Bacon – (G) Miles Bridges – (F) Nicolas Batum – (C) Bismack Biyombo

The Charlotte Hornets sit ninth in the NBA Eastern Conference standings, with a record of 38-42. They win out the remainder of their season in order to have the chance to make the post season, with much of that hope resting on the results of the Detroit Pistons.

The Hornets have done their best to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race with clutch wins over the New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, and Toronto Raptors. They take on the Cavaliers in their last road game of the season.

The Charlotte Hornets take on a Cleveland Cavaliers team that is near the bottom of the NBA standings. The difficulty lies in the Cavaliers’ motivation, who will be playing their last home game of the year. The Hornets need to show they are playoff ready, so winning against the lowly Cavaliers should be a certainty if they hope to make the post-season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (Home)

Head Coach: Larry Drew {All-Time 162-225 | ATL, CLE}

Projected Starting Five: (G) Brandon Knight – (G) Collin Sexton – (F) Cedi Osman – (F) Larry Nance – (C) Channing Frye

The Cleveland Cavaliers have nothing to play for at this point in the season, save for a twentieth win on the year. The Cavs sport a 19-62 record and have the opportunity to spoil the Charlotte Hornets’ post-season hopes in their final match.

The future is on development for the Cavaliers and they own some interesting individual assets going into the future. While they surely want to perform well for their home crowd in this last game, expect Larry Drew to give opportunity to some of the lesser used players in their rotation.

The Cavaliers have the responsibility of containing point guard Kemba Walker in this match. As Walker goes, so do the Hornets. If the Cavaliers can’t contain him, it will be a disappointing final regular season match for the Cavaliers.

What’s At Stake?

The Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers maintain a one-sided all-time series. The Cavaliers lead the Hornets over 109 regular season games 66-43.

A win for the Hornets would keep them alive in the Eastern Conference Playoff race.

A win for the Cavaliers would give them their twentieth win on the season.

Questions to answer

Can it all fall in place for the Hornets?

What can the Cavs take away from their season?

We are going to compare the Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

The Hornets Can Make the Playoffs, But They Need Help

The Charlotte Hornets have fought impressively to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference Playoff race. With two games remaining they can still qualify, but need a lot of pieces to fall into place if they hope to stay competitive.

For the Hornets to make the playoffs the path is rather simple. Charlotte must win the remainder of their games while also hoping that the Detroit Pistons lose one of their final two matches. Should the Pistons lose both, the Hornets need only one win to make the playoffs.

There is a lot of hoping involved in the Hornets’ chances of making the playoffs, but what they can control is taking on the Cavaliers. Their resolve should be greater, as they are competing for more than the Cavs. They cannot however, discredit a young team with youthful personal ambitions.

The Cavs’ Season Is Ending

The Cavs now own the best odds of landing the top pick in the NBA Draft. Like previous years, with LeBron James no longer with the squad, Cleveland has tanked for the first overall pick and now sits in wait for the ping pong balls to drop.

The Cavs also have two bright spots this season in Cedi Osman and Collin Sexton. Osman is ending the season on a high, posting more than fifteen points in four of his last seen matches. Osman is young and his potential seems limited, but his dedication to both Cleveland and his game are surely very valuable for the Cavs.

Collin Sexton started the season on a low, but like Osman has starred with nothing to play for on the year. Sexton has scored twenty or more in thirteen of his last sixteen and has impressively performed against the likes of Sacramento and Golden State. These young stars are the future of the Cavaliers, but they surely want to leave their home fans begging for more with a win.

Charlotte Hornets Roster Notes

F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – 7 Apr 2019 – Out (Personal) – The Hornets have listed Kidd-Gilchrist as OUT for Sunday’s game (Apr. 7) against the Pistons.

F Marvin Williams – 6 Apr 2019 – Out (Foot) – The Hornets have listed Williams as OUT for Sunday’s game (Apr. 7) against the Pistons.

C Cody Zeller – 6 Apr 2019 – Out (Left Knee Soreness) – The Hornets have listed Zeller as OUT for Sunday’s game (Apr. 7) against the Pistons.

Cleveland Cavaliers Roster Notes

G Matthew Dellavedova – 6 Apr 2019 – Out (Concussion) – Dellavedova has been ruled OUT for Sunday’s (Apr 7) game.

C John Henson – 21 Mar 2019 – Out (Wrist) – Henson has progressed to shooting drills, and the hope is that he’s approaching a return.

G Nik Stauskas – 6 Apr 2019 – Day To Day (Back) – Stauskas is listed as questionable for Sunday’s (Apr 7) game.

C Tristan Thompson – 6 Apr 2019 – Out (Rest) – Thompson has been ruled OUT for Sunday’s (Apr 7) game.

Head-to-Head: Kemba Walker (CHA) vs Jordan Clarkson (CLE)

It’s win or go home for Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets and it’s not even the post-season yet. On the other side, capable bench scorer and Filipino international Jordan Clarkson looks to put the Hornets out of their mission for a playoff run. It should be an interesting matchup.

Kemba Walker

Point Guard | 6-1, 184lb (185cm, 83kg) | UConn | Exp. 7 Years

25.5 PPG | 5.9 APG | 4.5 RPG | 1.3 SPG | 0.4 BPG | 2.6 TOV | .430 FG% | .354 3P%

It’s do or die for Kemba Walker. Does he lead his Hornets into the playoffs? Or does he enter free agency without making an impact on his seven-year home whatsoever? Walker has done his utmost in recent games, scoring 31, 29, 32, and 47 in his previous four. Three have been wins. The Hornets carry great momentum and if Walker can get his teammates involved as well as he scores they have an excellent chance.

Jordan Clarkson

Shooting Guard | 6-5, 194lb (196cm, 87kg) | Missouri | Exp. 4 Years

16.9 PPG | 2.4 APG | 3.4 RPG | 0.7 SPG | 0.2 BPG | 1.7 TOV | .447 FG% | .322 3P%

The Filipino international Jordan Clarkson would have had a real shot at sixth man of the year were he not on the underachieving Cleveland Cavaliers. His ability to score is streaky, but volume always allows him to meet his mark. The Hornets team defense has been fantastic as of late, but a scorer like Clarkson can undo that rhythm in isolation in a second.

Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers Predictions and Odds

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